The Paul Lambert thread - poll reset after our capitulation to Hull

[Richard E]

Ron is a good player. Getting him a partner is the issue.

I'd agree with that, I think, and I remain hopeful Okore is the right guy to play alongside him.

Vlaar is a decent enough centre half, prone to some howlers and not all that quick and, without wanting to sound overly flippant, if he was any better he'd probably be playing elsewhere. As it is, he looks like a mid-table-ish central defender to me, and that's not bad, really. With Okore alongside, he might look better than that.

I think Vlaar is a long way down the list of things to worry about, to be honest!

We've got 99 problems but a Vlaar ain't one.

[Damo70]

Vlaar has spent his Villa career trying to do the job of two players. And doing a half decent job at it. Just watch is improvement alongside Okore when he doesn't have to play a game whilst also holding someones hand.

[not3bad]

we could simply do what we should have done much earlier. Sack Lambert and replace him with a manager who will get the best out of the players available

That manager being... ?

[Ron Manager]

we could simply do what we should have done much earlier. Sack Lambert and replace him with a manager who will get the best out of the players available

That manager being... ?

Exactly. There isnt one who comes to mind as an obvious choice. Lambert was the choice of a large band of Villa supporters (including myself) but he has failed both the club and the Villa faithful.

but welcome Morpheus  a well written contribution to this thread.

[Richard E]

we could simply do what we should have done much earlier. Sack Lambert and replace him with a manager who will get the best out of the players available

That manager being... ?

When that question gets asked I tend to take the view that it is for the people being paid handsome salaries by the club to answer it rather than us.

[IFWaters]

I think we should stick with him. There are players of good quality in that squad now - eg Okore, Bacuna, Weimann, Vlaar, Delph, Bacuna, Bertrand, Westwood and Tekkers who Lambert has brought to the club or 'brought on' from the youth squad. Granted there are gambles that havent paid off, but at least they're not costing us £45k a week unlike previous managers....  Yes its a risk but I'm not sure what alternative people realistically think we have

[Ron Manager]

I think we should stick with him. There are players of good quality in that squad now - eg Okore, Bacuna, Weimann, Vlaar, Delph, Bacuna, Bertrand, Westwood and Tekkers who Lambert has brought to the club or 'brought on' from the youth squad. Granted there are gambles that havent paid off, but at least they're not costing us £45k a week unlike previous managers....  Yes its a risk but I'm not sure what alternative people realistically think we have

Weimann is not, I repeat not, of good quality. He is vastly overrated and does not have the quality required for the top division.

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

I've just consulted the Magic 8 Ball and have received answers to the following questions:

Will Paul Lambert be sacked? : magic ball answers You may rely on it.

Will Aston Villa get relegated 2014 : magic 8 ball responses Signs point to yes.

What are the chances of me copping off with Kylie this year? : 8 ball magic said Most likely.

Obviously the last question was a controlled sample as this is a scientific study, so whilst I commiserate with you all at least I will be getting some.

Schwing.

[ozzjim]

Weimann and Gabby are a huge part of the problem in fairness. 6 goals bewteen them all season, in the fron 3 positions, is so poor it is laughable. Both should not be in the side on form.

[bridgwater villa]

Great Post

Morning all. First post so go easy on me lads.

From the moment that Paul Lambert became our manager I had my reservations that he was going to be the right man for our club. I do not say this with the benefit of hindsight as I did continually post my opinion on another site which was ridiculed at the time but I guess not so much now.

My worry was that although Lambert came to us under the banner of 'an up and coming manager' with promotions tucked under his belt he was nevertheless going to build this club into another Norwich. A team full of spirit but ultimately lacking in any real flair or imagination. He also liked to play with a big target man upfront something which we have previously been accustomed to but recent successful clubs have now left that system behind in search of more progressive and fluent football.

His first major mistake at the club was to alienate several of our high earners into what has become known as the 'Bomb Squad.' This sent a message out to other prospective purchasers of those players that not only did we not want those players but maybe there was also the existence of an attitude problem. Irrespective of that it automatically devalued and made it harder for the club to recoup transfer fees for those players even if their wages was also an issue.

Lambert's second mistake was in the transfer market. By creating the 'Bomb Squad' he had cut most of the experience out of the squad and began replacing it with a lower league youth policy or players not yet used to the rigours of Premiership football. Another Norwich if you like. It was a cut and slash approach rather than a gradual one which would have been less of a shock to the club. Yes there is the argument that it was his remit to take this approach to lower the wage bill but I do remember reading somewhere in Lambert's first season that the Chief Executive stated it was up to Lambert how he spent his budget. I however feel that it was arrogance on Lambert's part that he could strip back a Premiership squad, replace the high earners with players mainly on Championship wages while still being competitive.

He has however had successes in the transfer market namely Benteke who most Villa fans originally thought was a poor signing (including myself. After a few games I had a likened Benteke to another Balaban). Vlaar has been another good signing along with Guzan but after that you really do begin to struggle to name any further Lambert successes in the transfer market and of course we've had the debacle in the FB positions and the signings of Bowery, Tonev, Sylla and Helenius. Was Fonzy, Bannan and Albrighton any worse than those new signings and you can safely say that they have not been replaced with better with Albrighton now our most effective player going forward.

Ultimately Lambert has proven to be another disastrous appointment by Lerner breaking all the wrong records at our club. We really haven't progressed at all from having what I would deem the worst Villa manager of all time in Mcleish and indeed the records of both Lambert and Mcleish are comparable which is a terrible indictment of Lambert's current tenure at our club.

It is worrying times indeed. In our remaining games due to injury we cannot call on our saviour of last season but we do have Grant Holt. You remember the Norwich connection again.

We are struggling to score goals and unless Lambert changes his preferred system replacing Holt with Agbonlarhor and going 4-5-1 to flood our midfield and make it harder for opposing teams to score against us we will drop into the bottom three.

Or we could simply do what we should have done much earlier. Sack Lambert and replace him with a manager who will get the best out of the players available and then give him a full pre-season to sort out the mess that Lambert hopefully will have left behind him.

For those who still want Lambert to fulfil this so called plan and the bigger picture we keep hearing about name me a Premiership manager with Lambert's result record who would have kept his job?

[rob_bridge]

I admit to being in the 'Get Lambert Camp'

I thought we were getting a potential Hitzfeld - alas we got a David Brent.

[eamonn]

Welcome Morpheus Darren Woolley you ain't.

There's only one Dazza Woolley!

[Damo70]

I have just read Faulkner's rallying cry and the mail's comparison to the very similar statement two years ago. Lambert must be feeling the heat from all sides.

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2605062/Lamberts-future-uncertain-Villa-chief-Faulkner-heads-Bodymoor-Heath-summit-talks-fire-boss.html

Ominous.

[andyh]

Reports elsewhere say Culverhouse sacked !! (TBAR)